I know that, in recent weeks, the performance of our AUTOSPORT print subscriptions delivery has been rather sub-standard. I have been chasing our subs department for you on this (even though I am strictly digital only!) and this is the very latest from them, which I thought I would share with you:

Over the last few weeks Air Business have been making some tweaks to the Priority Mail service that we use across Europe, focussing particularly on Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, which are the countries who had previously been having their copies routed through hand delivery agents by DHL Global Mail. Having reviewed the routings for Autosport they are confident that we are now delivering within the Priority Mail aim of 2-5 working days following dispatch from the UK. This means that some subscribers will be and are receiving their copies on a Saturday, but that it can take up to a week after UK publication for other European subscribers to receive their copies. We appreciate that this must be very frustrating for those of you who are used to receiving your copies so soon after publication and we will continue to discuss alternative options with our distributor over the coming weeks. If your copy is taking over a week to arrive with you then please flag this up with our customer service team at Autosport@servicehelpline.co.uk so that we can look into your account for you.

So there we go - my subscription colleagues are working on it, so if you're still having problems with late deliveries I would urge you to contact the email address listed and get on their case to sort your particular subscription out.

Please do keep the feedback coming, good or bad; if problems still exist we need to know about it.

Thanks Jim. As you are probably aware, I'm in the Canaries so feel rather left out in the thread title. Could we not just have European delivery delays?
A week is mentioned in the message that you have received from the subs dept, I wish, nothing would make me happier. "Normal" delivery for me is 23-28 days.
I spoke most recently with a very helpful young lady by the name of Emily, I have arranged to call her next Monday, any update that I get will be posted here.

Thanks for the reminder Jim. The last two mags were in time (both delivered on saturday). Let's hope it stays that way. And if not... well I guess my mailadress is quite a familiar sight for your colleagues at subs by now.

Well, something is happening. Issue 29th March arrived on Monday 23rd April, today, 26th April, I have received both the 5th and 12th April issues. Unbelievable.
Unfortunately though, it could be down to the fact that the postal service are just clearing the backlog that had built up after the recent three day holiday which has recently been taken. As these were just three of the forty bank holidays that are celebrated here, obviously, I'm not holding my breath.
The irony though, is that they wonder why this country of siesta and fiesta is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Well, something is happening. Issue 29th March arrived on Monday 23rd April, today, 26th April, I have received both the 5th and 12th April issues. Unbelievable.Unfortunately though, it could be down to the fact that the postal service are just clearing the backlog that had built up after the recent three day holiday which has recently been taken. As these were just three of the forty bank holidays that are celebrated here, obviously, I'm not holding my breath.The irony though, is that they wonder why this country of siesta and fiesta is on the verge of bankruptcy.

milestone11: it would be a fortune for you, if the Postoffice would move buildings..they will find all the missing Autosports??Sorry for joking around...

I have sent the usual email to Haymarket, but this time they have not even bothered to respond.
Maybe they too know there is nothing left to explain, it's been a mess for the last three months and it still is.

I have sent the usual email to Haymarket, but this time they have not even bothered to respond.Maybe they too know there is nothing left to explain, it's been a mess for the last three months and it still is.

Thank you for your email regarding Autosport magazine.I would like to advise that I have now amended your dispatch method so that your magazines are sent in brown paper envelopes. i have now resent this issue for you.I would like to offer you my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by this matter.

Thank you for your email regarding Autosport magazine.I would like to advise that I have now amended your dispatch method so that your magazines are sent in brown paper envelopes. i have now resent this issue for you.I would like to offer you my sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by this matter.

Brown envelopes, is that going to make the difference???

Bernard

Oh Bernard,

that's the famous 'intelligent' ServiceHelpline..They are thinking overseas Europe is full of criminals ,STEALING the perfectly in-time-delivered Autosports (..it went astray...)..Hence the BROWN Manilla..I have written this many times to the Autosport management.. THEY are simply ignoring the MAIN problem..Maybe it's time to 'leave' them--normally a decrease on the money-side moves things best around..SAD to recommend that

If only it were that simple, my Autosport has been sent in a "plain envelope" for the last two years or so. The result ultimately, is little change, in fact, on occasion the situation is worse for the following reason.It seems that putting an A4 Autosport into a C4 padded envelope is too difficult, exclusively, mine arrive in a C3 padded envelope, (324x458mm). The European standard letterbox has an opening 230mm wide to allow the posting of flat A4 sheets in a C4 envelope, (229mm wide), of course, the Autosport envelope becomes undeliverable. One of the postmen who delivers to my house has agreed that if I am not in, he will leave the envelope stood up in the window and then close the shutter, great. The other though, point blank refuses to do this on the pretext that it may get stolen and that he is not allowed to do so. If I am not in and the second postman is on the round, he will leave me a form which tells me to collect from the post office, neither will try a second time for delivery, if this happens, I have a twenty minute drive and then possibly a forty five minute wait in the post office. It's bloody madness!The crazy thing is though, all other mail arrives within a week. The last Autosport that I have received is the 12th April issue.

How mad must one be, to 'fight' for an already pre-paid subscription???

Michael

April 26 arrived on May 3. Wrapped in plastic, not stolen, just plainly slow.

The only thing Haymarket manages to get delivered in time is a letter to remind me time is running out to renew my subscription.The letter starts with this sentence: "I hope you enjoy your subscription..."

I used to buy Autosport paper magazine here in south Finland from little shop which even dared to get it into there collections by request. I paid almost twice (6.2€!) of it's real price in UK and as fastest it was always over week late. Around xmas and Easter delays was from 2 weeks to 3 and occasionally missing an issue altogether since it was not delivered at shop.

After all shop got new owner and they discontinued selling Autosport and I stop buying it.

April 26th issue arrived this morning 14th May. There has been an improvement of around a week. I suppose it depends on whether one considers 18 days as being acceptable. I don't. Were it not for the fact that three plus years ago 7-8 days was the norm, I probably would accept it. Other mail, (UK), is still arriving in a week.
I have been in constant discussion with the subs department and await an update, hopefully today.
Will keep up-dating.

I was away from the end of May until the 20th June, albeit the remaining May issues arrived whilst I was away, I cannot confirm dates.
Issue 7th June arrived 25th June.
Issues 14th June and 21st June arrived together today 12th July.

It appears that a pattern is developing since the Spanish Correos became responsible for sending Autosport, that is, one week worse than it was before. 3-4 weeks is absurd, the whole manana manana culture has brought this country to it's knees and they're too bloody stupid to realise it.

Well I suppose that I'd almost given up on my updating here because frankly, I had almost given up. Until today.Since my last update, nothing has changed. Well it has actually, it's got worse. 21-28 days has been fairly much the norm, sometimes a double delivery and again, once, a triple. There have been occasions where I have received issues out of sequence, but I waited, until today, as today represented 5 weeks since the last issue that was delivered to me,yep, the last issue received is October 4th.I have once again spoken with the subscriptions manager. Latest is that I shall now be sent 2 copies a week via different methods, one, in a plain envelope, please, pleasenot C3's, I refer to my posting of May 3rd.

Michael, Bernard et al.

If only it were that simple, my Autosport has been sent in a "plain envelope" for the last two years or so. The result ultimately, is little change, in fact, on occasion the situation is worse for the following reason.It seems that putting an A4 Autosport into a C4 padded envelope is too difficult, exclusively, mine arrive in a C3 padded envelope, (324x458mm). The European standard letterbox has an opening 230mm wide to allow the posting of flat A4 sheets in a C4 envelope, (229mm wide), of course, the Autosport envelope becomes undeliverable. One of the postmen who delivers to my house has agreed that if I am not in, he will leave the envelope stood up in the window and then close the shutter, great. The other though, point blank refuses to do this on the pretext that it may get stolen and that he is not allowed to do so. If I am not in and the second postman is on the round, he will leave me a form which tells me to collect from the post office, neither will try a second time for delivery, if this happens, I have a twenty minute drive and then possibly a forty five minute wait in the post office. It's bloody madness!The crazy thing is though, all other mail arrives within a week. The last Autosport that I have received is the 12th April issue.

Well I suppose that I'd almost given up on my updating here because frankly, I had almost given up. Until today.Since my last update, nothing has changed. Well it has actually, it's got worse. 21-28 days has been fairly much the norm, sometimes a double delivery and again, once, a triple. There have been occasions where I have received issues out of sequence, but I waited, until today, as today represented 5 weeks since the last issue that was delivered to me,yep, the last issue received is October 4th.I have once again spoken with the subscriptions manager. Latest is that I shall now be sent 2 copies a week via different methods, one, in a plain envelope, please, pleasenot C3's, I refer to my posting of May 3rd.

The next few weeks could be interesting.

I know it is little consolation, but it is not only Autosport that has been hit by these delays. I take Motorsport and Car in Belgium, and the delay is up to four weeks. My latest iPad edition of Motorsport was available on 24 October (and on the UK shelves on that day), my hardcopy arrived yesterday. In the case of a monthly it is not as critical as a weekly, but the delay is still annoying.